This invention relates to rear view mirrors for a vehicle, and in particular to a device for directing an air flow over the surface of an external rear view mirror in order to blow away droplets of spray which form on the mirror when driving in rainy weather.
Often when driving a vehicle in the rain, water droplets from spray tend to form on the reflective surface of external mirrors. This severely affects visibility. Particularly on trucks, which kick up a considerable amount of spray, and which have air currents which sometimes do not immediately conduct the spray away from the vehicle, this fogging can be severe. Further, a trucker relies solely on his external mirrors for rearward visibility.
In the past, the only solution readily available to solve the problem of water droplets on the mirrors was to manually wipe the mirrors from time to time. In a large truck, it is impossible for the driver alone to wipe the passenger side mirror when driving.
It is known, for use on a van or station wagon, to provide a deflector adjacent the rear of the vehicle for improving the air flow over the rear end of the vehicle. However, the difference between this application and using the air scoop of the present invention for rear view mirrors is that in the case of the rear view mirror, both the front and back sides of the mirror are in the air stream. Thus the flowing air impinging on the front side of the mirror creates pressure which can drive the air, when funneled properly, to flow over the rearwardly reflecting surface of the mirror.
A recent Japanese patent discloses a device to eliminate water droplets on the mirror of a passenger car. In this device, a compressor blows air through a nozzle onto the surface of a mirror, which blows the water droplets off the mirror. Of course, considerable expense and mechanical complexity is inherent in the compressor system. This prior invention fails to take advantage of the naturally occuring air flows when driving.
Accordingly, it is the general object of the present invention to provide an air scoop for an external rear view mirror which will direct a flow of air downwardly over the face of the mirror when the vehicle is in forward motion.
Another object is to provide an air scoop in which the entire front surface of the mirror is used to increase the air flow directed down the reflective surface of the mirror.
Another object is to provide an air scoop which captivates the air at the sides of the mirror.
Yet another object is to provide a unitary assembly with the mirror inside of an enclosure or housing.
A further object is to provide an efficient apparatus for funneling and directing the air over the surface of the mirror by orienting the side walls forwardly in the direction of travel of the vehicle, while blowing air uniformly over the surface of the mirror which is slanted with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle.
A still further object is to provide an embodiment of the invention which may be easily retrofitted to existing rear view mirrors on vehicles.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention and the manner in which they are achieved will be made apparent as the specification and claims proceed.